Brethren, good day. I am curious to hear your methods of approaching studying. When reading theological works, do you take notes and then review them? Do you underline, mark, or highlight passages as you read through it, and then review them? I am personally a note taker. I take a plethora of notes and then review. I have heard that highlighting as you read through, then copy the notes, and finally review them is an effective way of absorbing the material. I struggle with marking in books and it pains me to get books full of markings. Am I being to critical in that respect? I look forward to hearing your specific approaches to studying. I pray the Lord's sovereign grace be upon each of you.

I mark with a pencil. That way, it is eraseable if I need it to be. But I can still find what I want later.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. Do you then go back and copy what you marked in a notebook? If so, do you read a chapter and then copy the notes or read through the entire book first, and then copy the notes?

I dislike books that are marked in, and I find marking in books an inefficient way to note something I actually want to find later.

So if I read something I want to note, I write a note either in a notebook or in a searchable electronic document, depending on how I expect to use it later. I have notebooks and documents for various topics, so the note sometimes goes in one of those. If I want to be able to refer back to the work, I also note the title and page number.

So for instance, let's say I'm reading something from John Owen about the Trinity, and I like it and want to be reminded of it or able to refer back to it. I will write a note in my running "Trinity" document and also include the work I'm reading and a page number. This serves two purposes: (1) if someday I am studying the Trinity, I might read through my notes and come upon that great point from Owen, and (2) if someday I remember that Owen made a great point about the Trinity, I can find it more easily than if I had to wade through all his works.

I dislike books that are marked in, and I find marking in books an inefficient way to note something I actually want to find later.

So if I read something I want to note, I write a note either in a notebook or in a searchable electronic document, depending on how I expect to use it later. I have notebooks and documents for various topics, so the note sometimes goes in one of those. If I want to be able to refer back to the work, I also note the title and page number.

So for instance, let's say I'm reading something from John Owen about the Trinity, and I like it and want to be reminded of it or able to refer back to it. I will write a note in my running "Trinity" document and also include the work I'm reading and a page number. This serves two purposes: (1) if someday I am studying the Trinity, I might read through my notes and come upon that great point from Owen, and (2) if someday I remember that Owen made a great point about the Trinity, I can find it more easily than if I had to wade through all his works.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your response. We are in agreement on books being marked up. That is a great method and the one I typically follow. Sometimes my notebook subjects are too broad. I need to take the time to digitally archive my notes by themes.

I buy two copies if it is an important work and mark up the first and keep the second clean for future need or use. (That is what I did in the old days.)
Now, I buy one copy, scan it myself, have it as an e-file (docx for Logos), and then mark it up reading the hard copy.

I highlight, underline, and write notes in the margins. They are my books. I can do with them as I please.

Click to expand...

This!

Sometimes I read with a notepad and pen nearby, and I am able to be more intentional about note-keeping.

However, at other times, I just have a book in my lap as I sit on a porch swing or on a bench at a park or at the beach. At such times, I joyfully scribble in and highlight throughout - I don't have any intention of ever parting with books that I purchase, so I am not terribly concerned with others' views on markings.
Alas, though, as my library becomes increasingly digital, my note-taking methodology is evolving...

I mark books with pencils and highlighters. I bought them in order to learn from them, not to worship them. Marking them helps me to retain what I am reading, so that is why I do it.

Click to expand...

I do not feel my restraining from marking in books is elevating them to an object of worship. I personally just find markings to be a distraction. I am also particular about things being clean and in order. Lord willing that my wife and I have children, I hope to pass my library off to them. I may even gift them to a young man who is about to start the journey into ministry as my elders have so graciously done for me.

I buy two copies if it is an important work and mark up the first and keep the second clean for future need or use. (That is what I did in the old days.)
Now, I buy one copy, scan it myself, have it as an e-file (docx for Logos), and then mark it up reading the hard copy.

Click to expand...

I have considered buying two copies of books that have been a great blessing to me in order to fill one up with annotations and markings. Thanks for sharing.

I don't mark books. I might get more from them if I did, but I can't bear to do it. I'll happily concede that it's due to aesthetic reasons rather than practical ones--I just hate the way it looks relative to clean text. I have a good memory so I still retain a lot of the information, but it's admittedly much harder to find passages again when I want to reference something. I will mark up digital books, however, as it's much cleaner and you can hide notes. I like Matthew's method, though. Perhaps I'll get a book scanner and try that some time. Despite about a dozen years of post-secondary education I never became a very proficient note taker.

Though I do very little studying, when I do want to remember bits and pieces, I use a post-it on the page, sticking up like a bookmark, with a note on the post-it to remind me what it's marking. Can't really bring myself to scribble in books, and I dislike the colors of highlighters.
It's interesting sometimes, to get a second-hand book that's been scribbled up, and see what sort of things the PO underlined. Usually they are not things I would have underlined myself....

I'm hard on books as a rule and readily lend them out but am reluctant to borrow them for that reason. I don't necessarily mark them up but I usually fold pages or dog ear. I'm not afraid to make marks if I think it will help. As I read more and more electronic books it is becoming less an issue though.

Books are finite and meant to be learned from. Anything you can do to remember information the better of you are! My books are marked, highlighted, dog-eared and immensely damaged.

Click to expand...

Lol, this is how my wife feels. Yes, remembering is the key. Sadly, I've read many books that I can't remember anything in them. I wonder what the point of reading them was. They say they are working on a way to where we can download information into the brain. Sometimes this sounds like a good idea.

I can't stand the idea of myself writing in a book. The last time I did in any true capacity was in college when I was reading Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life and grading each "chapter" until I gave up trying to read that book.

Since then, I have always had a visceral feeling that dissuades me from ever writing in a book. Even putting my name in it!

Books are to to be treated as one would treat ones wife, delicately and lovingly. So no turning down the corners to mark your place, but use a book marker. Yet mark the places that delight you, as you would kiss your wife to show your affection and delight. But also the markings may have a future use, in that an unconverted family member may read it, and say, well that’s what “the old man” was on about, and it be an arrow to the heart.

Depends on the book. I dislike messy books, but will use pencil to help me follow and remember a weightier work. I keep a card to underline neatly and will sometimes write numbers or letters to maintain the author's points. A note or two might end up in the margins and more extensive notes, sometimes, on the end leaves.

I fold a piece of printer paper in half and write brief notes with page numbers on it.
I keep the paper in the back of the book.
Once several pages are accumulated, I hole-punch the paper and file it in a notebook.

When reading the Puritans I sometimes underline headings and subheadings so I can go back and attempt to recreate the original outline. It is easier to jog my memory on one Word doc than to flip through pages.

Share This Page

About us

The Puritan Board is a forum dedicated to the discussion of Christian theology in a Confessionally Reformed context. We are dedicated to our historic Creeds and Confessions because we believe they are faithful to the Scriptures.